Tension is rising across Northern Nigeria following the outspoken intervention of the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Dr. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, during a recent visit by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council delegation led by Senator Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari.
The Emir’s remarks, which have generated widespread reactions online, focused on insecurity, economic hardship, unfulfilled political promises and what he described as the tendency of politicians to return to traditional rulers only when elections are approaching.
Yari’s delegation was in Katsina as part of consultations ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The visit reportedly included senior political figures, including Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda and other prominent stakeholders.
Addressing the delegation at his palace, the Emir questioned the relationship between politicians and ordinary Nigerians after elections.
He was quoted as saying: “Every four years, you come to my palace with a cap in hand, asking for prayers, asking for support. After the election, you disappear to Abuja, to Lagos.”
The monarch also delivered one of the most striking lines from the encounter: “Politics is not madness.” He urged political leaders to convince Nigerians through genuine performance rather than relying on political promises, intimidation or division.
The Emir’s central message was that the government and politicians should focus less on the 2027 political contest and more on the immediate problems confronting communities across the North.
Katsina has been severely affected by banditry, kidnapping and attacks on rural communities, with insecurity disrupting farming and access to livelihoods. The Emir therefore challenged political leaders to address the conditions affecting ordinary people before asking them for another mandate.
His intervention has triggered intense debate on social media, with many Nigerians praising the monarch for what they see as an unusually direct message to political leaders.
Some online commenters have also drawn parallels with the controversial dethronement of the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, in March 2020.
On March 9, 2020, the Kano State Executive Council, under Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, announced Sanusi’s removal from the throne. The state government cited allegations including insubordination, refusal to comply with government instructions and disrespect for constituted authority. Sanusi was subsequently removed from the palace and taken to Nasarawa State under heavy security.
That history explains why some Northern voices are now warning against any attempt to use political or administrative pressure against the Emir of Katsina because of his public criticism of government policies.
Across social media, expressions such as “Katsina is not Kano” and warnings that any attempt to remove or humiliate the Emir would provoke a strong public reaction have circulated widely. However, claims that the entire Aso Rock Villa or Yorubaland would literally be “shut down” if anything happened to the monarch or his family remain social-media rhetoric and should not be presented as an established or coordinated Northern position.
What is clear is that the Emir’s intervention has struck a nerve.
For many Nigerians, his message reflects the frustration of communities battling insecurity, economic hardship and declining access to livelihoods while political actors are already preparing for the 2027 elections.
The controversy also raises a broader democratic question: Can traditional rulers speak truth to political power without being punished for it?
For now, there is no verified indication that the Tinubu administration or the Katsina State Government has initiated any move to dethrone or sanction the Emir over his remarks.
The message from the palace, however, has already entered the national political conversation: politicians may come seeking prayers and votes, but the people expect accountability after the election.
And as the debate intensifies, one slogan is dominating the conversation:
KATSINA IS NOT KANO.
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